Timberyard Records was a pioneering

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...

in the Australian

independent music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music or simply indie) is music that is produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording a ...

movement of the 1980s. Timberyard Records were established in 1985 in

Newtown, New South Wales Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west, is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Inner West Council in the state of New South ...

by Michael Danias. Initially releasing prominent underground Sydney acts such as Box the Jesuit,

Candy Harlots Candy Harlots were an Australian band from Sydney, active between 1987 and 1995. They also released material as Helter Skelter and The Harlots. According to rock music historian Ian McFarlane they were, "an unashamedly macho, decadent lot, with ...

, The

Dubrovniks The Dubrovniks were an Australian rock band which formed in August 1986 as The Adorable Ones. Early in 1987 they changed their name to The Dubrovniks in acknowledgement to the birthplace of two founding members, Roddy Radalj, and Boris Sujdov ...

Girl Monstar Girl Monstar were an all female Australian rock band which formed 1988 with the line-up of Damian Child on bass guitar; Anne McCue on lead guitar and vocals; Sherry Valier (aka Sherry Rich) on vocals and rhythm guitar (ex-Cactus Fever); and Sue ...

, Johnny Teen and the Broken Hearts and the Zen Genies. In 1989 the label released a Christmas compilation, ''Rockin' Bethlehem'', which featured a number of bands from the label, including The

, Ratcat, Girl Monstar, Steve Kilbey (

The Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

Damien Lovelock Damien Richard Lovelock (21 May 1954 – 3 August 2019), known familiarly as Damo, was an Australian musician, sports broadcaster and writer. He fronted the hard rock band The Celibate Rifles from 1980 as their lead singer-songwriter and later ...

( The Celibate Rifles), The Jackson Code and Lime Spiders. Proceeds from the sales of the album went to the Camperdown Children's Hospital. In 1990 the label released a second Christmas compilation album, ''Rockin' Bethlehem - The Second Coming'', which featured The Falling Joys, Painters and Dockers, Ed Kuepper, The Screaming Tribesmen,

Archie Roach Archibald William Roach (8 January 1956 – 30 July 2022) was an Australian singer, songwriter and Aboriginal activist. Often referred to as "Uncle Archie", Roach was a Gunditjmara and Bundjalung elder who campaigned for the rights of Abori ...

and Paul Kelly. Also that year

You Am I You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by its lead singer-songwriter and guitarist, Tim Rogers. They formed in December 1989 and are the first Australian band to have released three successive albums that have each debuted ...

signed with Timberyard, with the label subsequently releasing the band's first two

EPs EPS, EPs or Eps may refer to: Commerce and finance * Earnings per share * Electronic Payment Services, in Hong Kong, Macau, and Shenzhen, China * Express Payment System, in the Philippines Education * Edmonton Public Schools, in Edmonton, Al ...

, '' Snake Tide'' in May 1991 and '' Goddamn'' in May 1992. The band then signed to Ra Records, a sub-branch of rooArt Records. Timberyard took an extended break for many years before becoming active in the mid-2000s, with releases from Melbourne bands, Ripe,

Cosmic Psychos Cosmic Psychos are an Australian punk rock band which formed in 1982 as Spring Plains. Founding members included Ross Knight on bass guitar and vocals; Robbie Addington on guitar and vocals; and Steve Morrow on vocals. Australian rock music hi ...

and Damn Arms as well as Sydney artists Warhorse, Circle Pit and Atrocities. In 2004 the label started working with

Teenager Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the ...

, a band composed of Nick Littlemore from Pnau and

Empire of the Sun ''Empire of the Sun'' is a 1984 novel by English writer J. G. Ballard; it was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Like Ballard's earlier short story "The Dead Time" (published in the anthology '' ...

and Pip Brown known as Ladyhawke, on an art rock album titled Thirteen. It was recorded in many countries in collaboration with many artists. The album was released in 2006. The first single from the album was titled "Pony".

References

Australian independent record labels Alternative rock record labels {{Australia-company-stub

See also

References